Ornamented article and method of making the same



April 1945- E. B. NICHOLS 1 2,374,034

ORNAMENTED ARTICLE'AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed NOV. 22, I941 (Ittorneg Patented Apr. 17, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ORNAMEN TED ARTICLE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME 4 Claims.

This invention relates to ornamented articles of the type having ornaments or designs inlaid therein, and more particularly to the method of applying the ornaments to plastic or other suitable articles.

Heretofore, decorative ornaments and designs have been applied to plastic articles by a variety of methods, such as by printing the design on the plastic, applying decalcomanias thereto, attaching inlaid designs with cement, molding the ornaments into preformed cavities in the plastic article, and so on. Where various parts of the ornament or design are of different colors, as-

where it is desired to emphasize or contrast certain parts of the design with respect to others or to other parts of the article to which it has been applied, it has been customary, according to prior practice, to incorporate the coloring in the design itself. Not infrequently, however, does the colored material come loose from the article. Thus, in the case of ink printing on the plastic, the ink may rub off, especially after continued handling and prolonged use of the article. Similarly, where an inlay having a baked ceramic ornament of contrasting colors is employed, the ceramic material often chips and comes loose. In these and other similar cases, the desired effect is largely, if not entirely, lost.

The primary object of my present invention is to provide a novel method of applying to plastic and other suitable articles ornaments or designs of contrasting colors which willresult in a product not subject to the aforementioned and other similar defects inherent in ornamented articles produced by methods heretofore employed.

More particularly, it is an object of my present invention to provide an improved ornament of contrasting colors for articles which it may be desired to decorate therewith, together with an improved method of forming the same, and wherein the contrasting colors of the ornament are of a permanent nature and will have a life equal to that of the article itself.

Another object of my present invention is to provide an improved method of forming ornaments of contrasting color by which various color combinations can be produced quickly and cheaply, even by those not skilled in this art.

Still another object of my present invention is to provide an improved ornament of various colors having a basic inlay constituting a background against which the several colors of the ornament stand out and, conversely, itself standing out in contrast to the colors which may form a background therefor.

A further object of my present invention is to provide an improved method of applying to various articles metal or other suitable inlays which provide an outline for the several colors to be applied as a part of the ornament and thus automatically delineate the field or fields within which the contrasting colors are to be applied.

It is also an object of my present invention to provide an improved ornament as aforesaid and an improved method of forming the same by which the ornaments may be produced and applied to articles with great rapidity and efficiency.

In accordance with my present invention, I apply to a suitable article, such as one made of a plastic material, an open-work inlay design constituting part of the ornament, the design being made of metal, for example, and being applied to the article in any suitable manner, as with the aid of cement and under heat and pressure, or in any other way which has been found satisfactory. Where cement is used, the cement aids in sealing up the Joints between the metal inlay and the plastic base or article. The surfaces of the plastic base and the metal inlay are then preferably.

buffed and polished to produce a smooth surface to which suitable coloring matter is thereafter applied within the confines of the marginal edges of the inlay. The coloring material preferably should be a lacquer or other solvent or composition which mildly attacks the plastic base and therefore penetrates into the plastic material as a stain wherever the exposed plastic within the confines of the inlay is subjected thereto, but it should not, of course, attack the inlay itself. When the lacquer or other coloring material has become dry and set in the plastic, it can be readily rubbed off from the metal inlay, but the plastic remains colored to the edge of the design. Different colors may be used over different portions or areas of the article to obtain contrasting color effects, and if it is desired not to color certain areas, these may be masked off prior to application of the coloring materi i. In any case, the inlay provides a backgroun or outline for the colored areas, and the desiriid effects can be produced quickly and cheaply ithout requiring-the exacting care and technique necessitated by prior art methods employed for the same purposes.

The novel features that I consider characteristic of my invention are set larity in the appended claims. The invention itadvantages thereof, will best be understood from two forms thereof,

forth with particu-- when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which 1 Figure 1 is a plan view of a flat article having an ornament applied thereto according to my present invention,

Figure 2 is a sectional view thereof taken onthe plane of the line IIII of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a molding die by means of which the inla shown in Figures 1 and 2 may be applied to the article,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan view of a curved article to which an ornament has been applied in accordance with my present invention, and

Figure 5 is a sectional view thereof taken on the plane of the line V-V of Figure 4.

Referring more particularly to the drawin wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout, there is shown, in Figures 1 and 2, an ornamented article, such as a brooch or the like, constituted by a base mem- I ber I and an ornament 3 of suitable configuration. The base I may be made of any one or more of the well known commercial, synthetic, thermoplastic resins, such as Lucite, Pyraline, Styrol, or the like, or it may be formed of any other suitable organic, thermoplastic material. The ornament 3 is a composite ornament constituted in part by an open-work inlay 5 of suitable design and in part by one or more coloring materials 1 applied to the base member I in the vicinity of the inlay 5, and preferably upon the area or areas thereof exposed through and lying within the confines of the marginal portion of the inlay 5;

The inlay 5 may be applied to the thermoplastic base I under the action of heat and pressure and preferably in the manner fully set forth in my United States Patent No. 2,247,558, granted on July 1, 1941. For thispu'rpose, a molding die or fixture somewhat like that shown in Figure 3 may be employed, the fixture comprising a lower die 8 formed with a cavity I I in which the base member I may be placed and above which the base member may protrude somewhat, and an upper die I3 provided with a cavity I5 adapted to fit over the protruding part of the base member I when the upper die I3 is placed on the lower die 9. The die I3 is also provided with a suitable heating unit H. The base member is first inserted into the cavity II and the design 5 is applied to the surface thereof either with or without the aid of cement, as may be most suitable. The die I3 is then brought over onto the die 9 and heat is applied by the unit H to the design 5 and to the base member I in the vicinity of the design 5 suficient to soften the base I in the region of the design 5. Pressure is then applied to the dies 9 and I3, thereby causing the design 5 to become embedded or inlaid in the base I. Following this, the dies 9 and I I are cooled sufficiently to cause the base I to become hard again, whereupon the design remains fixed to the base and substantially flush with the surface thereof.

After removal from the die 9, the surfaces of the base I and the inlay 5 are buffed and polished to produce a smooth surface,'or the surface of the base member I may be otherwise treated to render,

it suitable for the reception of one or more coloring materials I. In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 and 2; the inlaid design is constituted by a series of spaced rings interconnected bylinks, the rings constituting the open-work part of the design through which portions of the base'I are exposed. The areas of the base I so exposedare then suitably colored within the confines of the rings to contrast with the colors of either the inlay, the base, or both. Thus, if the base member is white and the inlay 5 of gold, the area within one ring may be colored green, another red, a third blue, and the fourth brown, as shown in Figures l and 2, reading from left to right. Of

course, any arrangement of colors may be employed, these being preferably, but not necessarily, kept within the bounds or confines of the inlay 5.

The coloring material I is applied to the plastic base I in the formof a liquid by means of a brush, a spray, or in any other suitable manner, the material I being preferably one which mildly attacks the material of the base I as a solvent. For example, suitably colored ethylene dichloride may be used with Lucite; acetone may be used with any of the cellulose plastics; alcohol, carbon tetrachloride, amyl acetate, benzol. etc. may be used with various other materials. In any case, when the liquid I is applied to the base I, it penetrates thereinto and permanently colors the area over which it is applied, becoming hard and durable after exposure to the atmosphere for a time,

as is characteristic of various lacquers. After the lacquer or coloring material has become dry, it can be readily rubbed off from the metal inlay 5, leaving only the areas of the plastic base which are exposed through the open-work inlay 5 colored to the edges of the inlay and producing a unique and highly pleasing effect.

In Figures 4 and 5, there is shown a tubular base member 2| to which a composite ornament is applied in accordance with the present invention. The member 2| may constitute the plastic casing of a fountain pen, pencil, or the like, and the ornament may comprise a metal initial inlay. In the illustrated embodiment, the inlay 5 comprised the letter K set within a diamond-shaped frame or border. The coloring material I is applied to the surface of the tube 2| bounded by the diamond-shaped frame and, when rubbed off from the K, leaves a pleasing background for the letter within the frame.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that I have provided a highly effective method of applying composite ornaments of contrasting colors to articles requiring ornamentation and without necessitating the technique, skill and care usually required by the exacting methods heretofore employed to accomplish equivalent results. Ornaments formed according to this invention are permanent and durable and the only care necessary, where the coloring material is to be applied within the borders of the inlay, is to see that it does not spread beyond such borders during application. If desired, certain areas of the base member may be masked off to keep the spread .of coloring material under control, or to mask out those areas which are not to be colored.

Although I have shown and described two embodiments of my invention and the method of forming them, it will, no doubt, be apparent to those skilled in the art that many other modifications and changes in the precise steps described are possible. 7, For example, where the base member is made of wood or any other porous material,

the coloring liquid need not be a solvent therefor, as it will readily penetrate it without solvent action. Also, in connectipn with some basematerials, such as certain yhighly glazed cellulosic products, it may be desirable to roughen rather than smooth the surface thereof prior to appli. cation of they coloring liquid in order that the liquid may penetrate into or otherwise take to the base material properly. Other similar changes will undoubtedly readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. I therefore desire that my invention shall not be limited except insofar as is made necessary by the prior art and by the spirit of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. The method of applying ornamentation to an article of organic, thermoplastic material capable of being penetrated by a dye having a color which contrasts with that of said article which comprises first embedding in said article an inlay impervious to said dye and having an opening Within the peripheral confines thereof through which a portion of said article will remain exposed, said inlay constituting a part of said ornamentation, and then applying said dye to said exposed portion whereby said exposed portion becomes colored in contrast to the remainder of said article, and said ornamentation is thereby completed.

2. The method of applying ornamentation to an article of organic, thermoplastic material capable of being penetrated by a dye having a color which contrasts with that of said article which comprises first embedding in said article substantially flush with the surface thereof an inlay impervious to said dye and having an opening within the peripheral confines thereof through which a portion of said article will-remain exposed, said inlay constituting a part of said 'ornamentation, then treating the surface of said exposed portion to render it suitable to receive and retain said dye, and subsequently applying said dye to said treated surface whereby said surface becomes colored in contrast to the remainder of said article to thereby complete said ornamentation.

3. An article of manufacture comprising a base member of organic, thermoplastic material and an ornament on said base member, said ornament being constituted in part by a closed inlay embedded in said base member and having an opening therein through which a portion of said base member is exposed, and in part by a coloring material applied to said base member on said exposed area and absorbed into said base member by penetration thereinto, said inlay comprising a material which is impenetrable by said coloring material.

4. An article of manufacture according to claim 3 wherein said inlay is fiush with the surface of said base member.

EDGAR B. NICHOLS. 

